Muslim cable channel: New network builds bridges by cable and sattelite

A ‘Muslim Idol’ show? Naah

Three years in the making, American Muslim-oriented Bridges TV began broadcasting this week with an initial 50,000 cable and satellite TV subscribers (there is a live internet stream if you want a preview), following a press conference in Buffalo, NY where organizers invited both Christian and Jewish clergy to lead an interfaith benediction. Bridges TV founder and Chief Executive Muzzammil Hassan, who came to the United States from Pakistan in 1979, said on Friday his wife came up with the idea in December 2001 while listening to the radio on a road trip and hearing tirades against Muslims following the events of September 11th. “Our target audience has told us some of the foreign channels are pretty one-sided, and some of the domestic channels are pretty one-sided the other way,” Hassan said. “[But] Bridges TV is not going to be an Al-Jazeera. It’s going to be a very patriotic channel.” In order to demonstrate the viability to potential investors, Hassan sought 10,000 paid subscriptions before the channel was even launched, a goal which was reached ahead of schedule. “When we met with Comcast,” Hassan said, “the comment they made was we have never seen this type of demand before” (sorry Daniel). Hassan then turned to businessmen and media investors to create the holding company, raising up to $10 million from more than 50 Americans (only). Other notable supporters include Imam Warith Deen Muhammad and Muhammad Ali (there’s even a Bridges weblog). “We have briefed the U.S. State Department,” notes Hassan, “and have consistently received positive feedback.” Even better feedback came from the legions of American Muslims who implored Hassan to follow through. “Most American Muslims do not identify with these stereotypes (of terrorism),” said Hassan. “Rather, their greatest worries in life may be about such things as their children’s health, paying their taxes by the deadline, who will win American Idol or socializing with friends.” Programming ideas have continued to flood in from the channel’s supporters. “We will focus on things unique to the American Muslim experience,” Hassan said. “The melting of ethnicities, free-speech issues, or how my daughter is being told by her Islamic schoolteacher that she can’t go out for Halloween because it’s pagan or satanic. We could build a whole sitcom on that.”

Zahed Amanullah is associate editor of altmuslim.com.  He is based in London, England.